Photographs and Memories
by Design Girl
Summary: Adam’s Birthday is coming and he’s spending it with Iris, but Joan still feels she has to get him a gift so she tries out her artistic talent with some interesting results.


TITLE: Photographs and Memories  
  
DATE: 2/23-27/2004  
  
RATING: PG  
  
SPOILERS: Everything up through "Double Dutch".  
  
SUMMARY: Adam's Birthday is coming and he's spending it with Iris, but Joan still feels she has to get him a gift so she tries out her artistic talent with some interesting results.  
  
CATEGORY: Romance/Angst  
  
CHEESE FACTOR: 6  
  
DEDICATION: This is the first time I've added a dedication and it has to go to AL for her ability to turn out so many great stories so quickly. Thanks AL and keep writing!  
  
DISCLAIMERS: Joan of Arcadia and all of its characters are the creation and property of Barbara Hall, CBS and Sony Pictures. This story is for pure entertainment and not for any profit at all.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is fluff, with a capital "F". Rating is due to suggestions that are made but not specifically stated. It's the first story I've written with just a fluff plot in mind but it turned out okay I think. Primarily it is of course J/A based, cause that's just my style, but others do make appearances. I don't really have any clue when Adam's birthday is suppose to be but it made a good basis for the plot, so there you go. Sorry about the length. I'd intended it to be shorter but it just didn't want to get finished and ended up a little long for a single chapter. Also, in an attempt to post before the new epi, the editing is a little rough so apologies are in order.  
  
FEEDBACK: I'd welcome your feedback, good or bad (so long as you're nice about it).  
  
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Joan stood at her locker staring inside but not really seeing anything.  
  
Grace walking up behind Joan inquired, "Dude, don't tell me anything in there is that interesting."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Trying out for space cadet, Giradi?"  
  
"Grace, what are you talking about?"  
  
"Well let's see, your attention was totally focused on the back of your locker as if the secret of the universe was written there. What's up?"  
  
"Adam's birthday is this Friday."  
  
"Yeah, and so that's an event that happens every year. Why is the planet in eminent danger if it occurs once again?"  
  
"I don't know what to get him for a gift."  
  
"You might try something simple, basic; say a gift card at the music store, no wait, that's my idea."  
  
"It's not that easy Grace, I mean I want to say something with the gift."  
  
"Typically, one says 'Happy Birthday' with a birthday gift."  
  
"Grace....you know what I mean. It's just not what it used to be between Adam and I and you for that matter as well. Ever since Adam and Iris....., well, you know."  
  
"Yeah, I know Giradi, but things change and you move on, like I need to do to get to class. Take my suggestion, go the gift card route. Later."  
  
As Grace headed off to class and Joan closed her locker to do the same, the conversation she'd had with Grace bothered Joan. Just a few weeks ago, Grace would have made some comment to Joan saying that Adam's relationship with Iris was not one that would last, or that Adam was not really interested in Iris, that he was 'hot' for someone else. Now Grace was suggesting that things change and that it was time to 'move on'.  
  
The thing was Joan didn't want to move on, if anything, she wanted them to go back the way they'd been. Over the past several weeks she had become distanced from Adam. Grace had as well. The three of them rarely talked at all anymore except for a little in chemistry class and at an occasional chemistry study session to prep for an exam. Adam spent lunch, his free time before and after school and nearly every weekend with Iris. Adam and Iris walked the halls together and for the most part ignored the world around them.  
  
As Joan approached the door to her math class she noticed Adam and Iris standing in the hall outside the door to Adam's first class. Iris had her hands linked behind Adam's neck and their foreheads were leaned together touching. The two were so wrapped up in each other that apparently they didn't even notice Joan standing just a few feet away waiting for the maintenance guy to move the ladder that was blocking her from continuing on into her classroom. As Joan waited to move on she could not help but overhear Iris talking to Adam...  
  
"Oh 'A', I can't wait for the weekend and your birthday to get here. I have just so many fun things planned that you are going to just love it. I'm baking you a cake, I've got a special gift that I've made for you, I'm planning a special dinner for just you me and ya never know we might find some other special things to do together since my mom's away for the weekend."  
  
"Ya know Iris, I like birthday surprises as much as the next guy but ya don't have to overdo it."  
  
"Well if I don't make it special for you who's going too?"  
  
"Well, my dad always does something special for me, makes my favorite for breakfast, something like that, and in years past Grace usually did something to remember my birthday, too. One year she toilet papered my house and then showed up all innocent the next day to help clean it up. Another time she got me a cherry pie with candles in it since she said birthday cakes had been 'overdone'."  
  
"Your dad doing stuff is fine, but, I've told you time and time again 'A', you don't need to rely on Grace anymore for those friendship kinds of things and for that matter Joan either. You have me now and I'm all the friend that you need."  
  
Just then the maintenance man cleared the hallway and Joan was able to move away from the pair and into her classroom. For her, it was a good thing too, for if she'd had to stand there much longer, she'd not have been able to keep the tears in her eyes from falling. What Joan didn't get to hear after she walked away though was Adam's response to Iris.  
  
"Dude, that just wasn't nice. Grace and Jane are still my friends and are still very important to me. I know I've not had much chance to spend time with them the past few weeks, but we're still friends, we have to be."  
  
"Oh 'A', I didn't mean anything by it, let's just forget about it and look forward to the weekend. I gotta go or I'll be late to class. See ya at lunch."  
  
Moving forward and after quickly kissing Adam on the cheek, Iris headed off down the hall.  
  
Adam turned briefly to watch her go before going on into his class. When he had some more time he thought he'd have to think about what Iris had said and about why things weren't as they used to be between him and Jane and Grace.  
  
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Joan hardly noticed what went on through her next class, or, for that matter for the rest of the day. She just kept hearing Iris tell Adam that he no longer needed she and Grace as friends. Joan didn't know what to do, cause she didn't want to look forward to a future without Adam as her friend. All she had focused over the last several weeks was doing anything to allow Adam to be happy, even if it made her miserable. She wasn't ready for 'that' type of relationship, or at least she hadn't been back at the time of the party. Adam apparently was and he had found what he was looking for with Iris. Even through Grace's constant nagging Joan had maintained that everything would be fine, they should let Adam be happy with Iris, cause they would still get to be friends with him. Now it seemed as if her efforts had been for nothing.  
  
Joan was leaving her last class aimlessly wandering down the hall on her way to her locker and nearly walked into the maintenance man who was once again blocking a portion of the hallway with his ladder as he adjusted the security camera mounted near the ceiling.  
  
"Joan, could you toss me that towel there on the floor?"  
  
Joan in response to the request bent over, retrieved the towel and threw it at the maintenance man. Recognizing him as God in his "maintenance man" image, Joan responded, "Here you go 'Your Almightiness', and leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you today. Every time I do something for you it has some ugly reflection on my life. Just leave me alone!"  
  
"Ah Joan, throwing in the towel so quickly?"  
  
"Stop with the metaphors already, okay?"  
  
"Well that is what you were doing wasn't it, giving up on your relationship with Adam?"  
  
"Well...yeah...I guess so. It's not as if I want too, it's more as if I don't have any choice."  
  
"Now Joan, have you forgotten our discussions of the past few months? There are always choices. It is all in why we make the choices we do, carrying through with them, and learning from them. You chose to define your relationship with Adam as one of friendship, at least for the time being. Adam accepted that, perhaps reluctantly, but accepted it none the less. Through making that choice you've learned more about what you are looking for and more about Adam as well."  
  
"But I don't like how this has turned out. There, I said it, are you happy?"  
  
"Have you thought about making another choice here?"  
  
"What choice is there for me to make, I sure can't see one."  
  
As the maintenance man climbed down off of the ladder and prepared to leave, he added, "Joan, have you ever noticed how choices are a lot like photographs? When you take a photograph, you see an image in your mind and believe you know how the photograph will turn out, but you don't really * know * what it will look like until it is developed. When you don't like the outcome, sometimes you have to accept the photographs as they are, but other times the opportunity may present itself to retake the picture."  
  
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Joan sat at home that same evening, alone in her room, the conversations of the past day running through her mind. What was she going to do about the whole 'Iris take over the friend role' situation? She wasn't satisfied with her friendship with Adam coming to an end. It was and remained important to her and so she had to make a choice to do something about it. But how was she supposed to make that choice clear to Adam? Maybe she could somehow find a gift that would wake Adam up and allow him to see that he still had other friends out there. Grace's suggestion of a gift card wasn't gonna do it. As she looked around her room her gaze landed on her camera. She thought back to the comments that God had made to her about choices being similar to photographs.  
  
Maybe...just maybe...with a little luck...some help from Grace...some bribery of Luke...and perhaps some artistic guidance from her mom she could make this work...  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
"Come on Grace, it wouldn't be that bad."  
  
"Not bad, let's see, smiling...running all over town...letting Science Boy take pictures of me? What part of that isn't bad?"  
  
"I'll be there, too. Besides, I've already agreed to do extra dish duty for two weeks to get Luke to help."  
  
"Earth to Planet Joan....Rove has a photographic memory; I don't see how this adventure of yours will do anything at all."  
  
"Grace, I told you, it's not about what Adam sees, it's about what we are telling Adam we see."  
  
"Giradi, I don't know where you get these off the wall ideas, and this one takes the cake. If Geek Boy wasn't involved then maybe..."  
  
As they were talking, Adam and Iris walked by. Totally absorbed in each other, neither seemed to notice as they nearly bumped into Grace, then continued down the hall.  
  
"Oh, 'A', it's gonna be so much fun...just the two of us......" Iris whispered to Adam, conveniently loud enough for the two girls to hear.  
  
Joan looked over at Grace as Adam and Iris moved out of earshot. Grace looked as if she was going to vomit all over the floor after having seen something so nauseatingly sweet.  
  
"Okay, Giradi. I'll do it. At this point, I'm willing to try nearly anything to tone down the little 'love fest' Cousin It is planning."  
  
"Grace, thanks, but I'm not trying to get in between them, I just want Adam to know that we are still his friends."  
  
"Yeah, uh huh, and I think Mr. Price is the nicest guy on the planet...Later Giradi."  
  
Grace headed off toward her next class and Joan started making a list of the places they needed to visit.  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
On Thursday night, Joan sat on her bedroom floor with several dozen photographs lying around her. In front of her she had placed a poster frame where she was trying to organize various pictures. Most of the assortment of pictures had come from the efforts of her, Grace and Luke, over the past few days. Since she had gotten Grace to agree to help out, the three of them had been to numerous locations all over Arcadi, where, at sometime in the past, Adam, Grace and Joan or just Adam and Grace had spent time together. A few of the photos from Grace's limited collection at home and from the Giradi photo albums, showed the three friends together, laughing and having fun. Finally a small pile of photos, those that Joan had taken herself, reflected places or things that were special to either her and Adam or just Adam; the sidewalk in front of her house, the sculptures Adam had made for her, the outside of Adam's shed, a particular corner of the room where the science fair was held, the cemetery.  
  
"Honey, how's it going?" asked Helen as she stuck her head in Joan's door.  
  
"I'm not sure Mom; it seems to be fitting together. I think I understand what I'm trying to say with this, I'm just not sure though that Adam will."  
  
"Joan, I think it will be fine. Adam is an artist and as an artist, he tends to look beyond the obvious to find the meaning behind a piece."  
  
"I hope that works with this, otherwise my dishpan hands will have been for nothing."  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
Friday evening Adam was at Iris's house. They sat on the couch after having finished a dinner that was at least to Adam's perspective, interesting. Iris was not all that good of a cook, and he thought he would have to try and remember that the next time she invited him over for dinner.  
  
"Oh 'A' this is so much fun, it's like having our own place and celebrating special holidays together."  
  
"Yeah, I guess so."  
  
"Are you ready to open your first present now?"  
  
"Sure Iris."  
  
"Here it is," she said as she handed him a big box.  
  
Adam accepted the box from Iris, sat it down on the table in front of him and turned to Iris, "Wow, I mean thanks, I usually don't get presents that are so big."  
  
"Well I decided it needed to be something special to celebrate our first 'special day' together."  
  
Adam tore the paper off of the box and taking off the lid he looked inside to see a sculpture created from haphazard junk. Removing it from the box, Adam sat it down on the table.  
  
"Iris...um...thank you. It's been awhile since anyone has 'made' me a gift. And you even used a medium that I'm familiar with. Um... what does it represent?"  
  
"I would have thought you of all people could see that in the piece Adam, it represents the two of us together."  
  
Try as he might, Adam couldn't see much of anything in the piece. Frankly, it reminded him a lot of the piece he'd made a few weeks back for art class that he now referred to as "Crap on a Stick." But, nice guy that he was, he could not tell Iris what he really thought, so instead he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"Thanks, Iris. Um, I like it and it was really nice of you to make something special for my birthday."  
  
"You're welcome 'A'. Now do you want to know what the second part of your present is?"  
  
"Second part? Ya know you shouldn't have gone to so much trouble."  
  
As she moved closer on the couch and took his hand, she said, "Oh the second part will be no trouble at all. In fact, I think it will be fun for both of us."  
  
"What, are we going somewhere?"  
  
Nestling in next to him Iris, smiled and said, "Yeah, I thought we might go upstairs and you know... After all, my mom's out of town and your dad won't be home from work until in the morning so we have lots of time."  
  
Even though he sat there next to Iris, looking directly at her, it took Adam a moment to register what Iris was saying. When it finally dawned on him, he blushed and then started scrambling for a response that fit the moment.  
  
"Um... Iris, I don't know what to say."  
  
"You don't have to 'say' anything ya know. It will be fun, don't ya think."  
  
"Iris, what I think is..."  
  
"It will be like having a special secret that is just between us. When we look at each other and hold hands around other people, we can be thinking about tonight."  
  
"Iris."  
  
"Oh 'A', this is going to be so special."  
  
"Iris!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Um...as much as I would no doubt enjoy your 'gift', I um... have to tell ya that I think that I'm not going to 'open it' right now I mean it's.... "  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"Now Iris, don't get all freaky on me."  
  
"Freaky!"  
  
"Iris."  
  
"Don't 'Iris' me, Adam. Here I am offering you, well... you know, and you say you're not going to..."  
  
"Iris, I just don't think the time is right."  
  
"Don't give me that Adam, I doubt the time will ever be right, at least with me. It's Joan isn't it? You're still interested in 'coupling' with her. You never were really interested in me, 'for me'. You just wanted somebody to replace Joan, but it appears I'm not good enough."  
  
"Iris, that's not it. I enjoy spending time with you. We've had a lot of fun and we share a lot of interests, it's just I don't think of us as being together 'that way'. I'd be lying if I said I didn't like spending time with Jane, and Grace too for that matter. At one time I thought Jane and I might get together, but she wasn't ready for that kinda thing...but we do still have a kinda connection I guess."  
  
"Adam, just shut up. I'm sick and tired of dealing with this. I've tried to do my best to get between you and Joan and Grace over the past weeks. Done everything I could to distract you and just for fun rub their noses in how 'close' we've become. I really enjoyed that part you know, taking every opportunity to see if I could make that Giradi witch cry. Ya know how prone she is to crying and you don't know how many times our little displays in the hall have brought her right to the edge. I thought for sure the other morning I would suceed in the hall but the maintenance man moved his dumb ladder too soon."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Adam, wake up. Joan was standing right beside us. She heard me telling you that you didn't need she and Grace anymore for friends."  
  
"But I told you that they were still my friends."  
  
"I heard you but Joan had already walked, or should I say 'ran' away."  
  
"Iris...how could you be like that?"  
  
"How could I be like that? Believe me it wasn't hard after watching you and Joan around each other and listening to you call her 'Jane'. As for Grace, she's just rude. I have no idea why you even talk to her."  
  
"Maybe I should just go Iris."  
  
"Yeah, why don't you. You were never really here anyway. Oh, and Adam?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Don't bother calling me in the morning to apologize so that I take you back...you're not worth it."  
  
Adam, though not in agreement with Iris on whose fault the argument had been thought it was better if he just got his coat and left. After he'd exited the front door and started down the sidewalk, he heard the door open again behind him...  
  
"Adam, you forgot something."  
  
Adam turned back toward Iris, just in time to see the sculpture she had made for him flying through the air toward his head. Fortunately, Iris was lousy at throwing things and the sculpture crashed onto the sidewalk, breaking into a dozen pieces.  
  
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Adam walked slowly home, trying to figure out where to go from here. He had to admit to himself that Iris had been right; he still thought a lot about what it'd be like to get together with Jane. The connection he mentioned to Iris was still there, he just wasn't sure it was strong enough to get past this. As for Grace, he was pretty sure they'd be alright. They'd gotten through lots of scrapes over the past 13 years, and even if this one was pretty major, they'd survive.  
  
As Adam arrived on his front porch and reached for his key he noticed two packages propped next to the door. Opening the door he took the packages inside and looked for a card or something to find out where they'd come from. On the smaller package he found a taped note that read...  
  
"Dude, Happy Birthday and all that. I'm sure you'll enjoy this better than say, what....toilet paper? Have a good one.......G."  
  
Smiling, Adam looked inside the package to find a gift card for the local music store. Cool.  
  
The bigger package intrigued Adam. To prolong the suspense of learning what was inside he took the card out of the envelope and read...  
  
"Adam, I wanted to show you how important your friendship has been to me these last few months, and though you may recall all of these moments and places, I thought maybe I'd show you that I remember them too. Happy Birthday..........Jane."  
  
Setting the note aside, Adam gently picked up the package and removed the wrapping paper. When he turned the frame over and he looked at the front, he couldn't believe what he saw....  
  
The frame contained a collection of photographs of...memories, not only the common memories of his friendship with Joan and Grace but also of the special memories of the places he'd shared with Jane. To highlight the photographs, Jane had added a variety of ticket stubs, a receipt from a trip the three of them had made for ice cream and .....feathers.  
  
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Joan was sitting at home alone that same evening. Her parents had gone out for a late diner, Kevin was on a date and Luke was at Freidman's house watching some Discovery Channel special. Joan sat the couch trying to read and listening to music, specifically "What if it All Mean's Something" by Chantal Kreviazuk, when the doorbell rang. Answering the door, she was surprised to see the same person she'd been trying * not * to think about standing on the porch.  
  
"Adam?"  
  
"Cha, Jane."  
  
"What are you doing here? I thought you were going to Iris' for dinner."  
  
"Can I come in for a few minutes? I wanted to talk to you."  
  
"Oh, sure," she said stepping back and opening the door so he could pass.  
  
As Joan closed the door and turned around, Adam extended his hand toward her.  
  
"Jane, come sit and talk with me."  
  
Joan, taking the offered hand, followed Adam toward the couch and sat next to him. Adam didn't let go of her hand.  
  
"Joan, I came by tonight to say several things....maybe first off I should say, 'Thank you.' Thanks for being my friend and thanks for the birthday gift. Ya know no one ever has made me something like that for a gift, it means a lot ya know."  
  
"Adam, I just wanted to find a kinda special way to say happy birthday."  
  
"Jane, unchallenged that's it's special."  
  
"Since you said thanks, then I'll say, 'You're welcome, Adam', though you could've waited until Monday or tomorrow on the phone to say thanks."  
  
"I decided that I needed to say this stuff tonight and in person."  
  
"Adam, you don't need to say anything else."  
  
"Yeah, I do Jane, the other stuff is almost, maybe more, important to say. See I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry."  
  
"Sorry for what Adam?"  
  
"The list is pretty long, yo....for forgetting how special the friendship between you, Grace and I has been and still is, for letting Iris rub your nose in my relationship with her, for not saying something and keeping her from being rude to you, but mostly for not giving whatever this is between us time enough to develop. I was mad Jane when you told me that you thought we weren't ready for romantic love. I didn't mean to make you jealous or angry or to cause you to cry, it was just well somebody was making me feel special..."  
  
Joan, who had been watching Adam's face as he talked so that she could better understand, dropped her gaze to her lap as tears began to form in her eyes.  
  
"Adam, it's okay..."  
  
"No, let me finish...Then, tonight when Iris wanted to, um..., I realized that I'd rather wait till you're ready before I go for the serious 'romantic love' thing. There now I'm done."  
  
Adam reached out his hand to tip up her chin so that he could look at her. As he did he noticed the tears running down her cheek and wiped them with his thumb. In response, Joan leaned her face into his hand before responding.  
  
"Adam, I think that I need to tell you that things have um.... changed." Seeing a worried look cross Adam's face, she hurriedly continued, "See I think I'm ready, and that we're ready that is, to try the 'romantic love' thing, or at least the um... the first stages of it."  
  
Adam smiled and leaned forward to kiss Joan. It was as sweet and as tender as their first kiss had been except that this one held promise and direction for their relationship. After a moment they pulled back from their kiss and their gazes remained locked. Conversation unnecessary, the music playing in the background finally intruded into Adam's thoughts and as he recognized the start of the next song on the CD, he smiled. Joan too became aware again of the music playing. Recognizing the opening bars of Chantal Kreviazuk's rendition of "Feels Like Home", she returned Adam's smile.  
  
"Jane, ya wanna dance?"  
  
"Yeah, Adam, I'd love too."  
  
He stood, pulling her up behind him and took her into his arms. Comfortable where she found herself, Joan nestled her head into Adam's shoulder as she had when they had danced on the sidewalk.  
  
As the song and their dance continued, Joan started giggling and Adam pulled back to smile at her.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, I was just thinking, we'd better call Grace tomorrow and tell her the news. That'll give her a whole day to work up ways to say 'I told ya so'."  
  
"Unchallenged," Adam responded as he pulled Jane back close and they continued their dance.  
  
~The End~  
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A/N: I told you so – Fluff. This was my first fan fic that I started writing without knowing what the ending would be but I don't think it turned out too bad. It was fun writing it and I of course liked giving Iris yet another awful personality trait. (Really, I do it cause I like Iris' character so much – NOT.) Anyway, I hoped you like this one (the story not Iris' personality). I left the lyrics to the two songs out so that this wouldn't be even longer so you'll either have to get the CD or check out the lyrics to see if you think they fit. (We all have to listen once in a while to the other songs on the CD besides "Time" after all, don't we?) Thanks for reading. 


End file.
